Changes
by Jediempress
Summary: COMPLETED! Minifollow up to Unavoidable Truth.Okay, maybe not so mini. It's Riku and Sora's return trip and a lot of things are going to change for both of them. Thank you, everyone who's been following. REWRITE COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

Second arc of Unavoidable Truth.

I only own the story itself (and Riku's mom).

REWRITTEN Aug 16

Changes

Riku threw himself into the leather chair opposite his two best friends. He sighed loudly, blowing his long bangs up. "Is it over yet?"

"You've got another week till break." Kairi informed him happily.

"Thanks, Kairi. Really appreciate hearing that."

"You're welcome." She giggled, sipping on her mint mochaccino.

"This sucks, guys. It's like they decided they forgot to teach us a bunch of stuff so they're going to start piling it on us now. And don't we dare forget all those semester papers due by the end of the year." He groaned. "I'm already spending a good four to six hours a night on homework; I am dreading what they dump on us after break."

"And how much of the rest of the night is spent talking to Cloud?"

"About an hour." Riku drank his coffee. "He knows I'm swamped."

"Well, it doesn't help that you're in all the accelerated and honors classes."

"Nope. Thank the stars I finished with Sephiroth when I did."

"I still can't believe he traveled all the way here, not to mention how fast he came." The auburn haired girl shook her head. "I mean, it's a really good thing he did because I really thought you were gonna lose it."

It had been an incredibly good thing Sephiroth had shown up when he had. Riku's mother had been yelling at him, screaming what a failure he had turned out to be. This was nothing new; Sumire often told him what a mistake it had been for him to have been born.

However, this time he had his other mother chanting in his mind to simply kill the bitch and be done with her. He almost had. He had gone so far as to step toward her with hand upraised, ready to blast her into oblivion.

Then Sephiroth calmly strode through the front door. Without a word, he clipped Sumire at the back of the neck and she dropped. She never saw him. Riku had stared at her fallen form, trembling, hand still stretched out.

…And then that damned voice switched targets, demanding he destroy Sephiroth. Jenova calmly but insistently ranted into his brain that his brother was nothing but a traitor and would one day betray him as he did everyone in his life. He tried to shut her out, tried not to listen… even as his hand switched targets and he began calling upon the darkness.

Riku still did not know what Sephiroth had done but he woke up a short time later in Sora's bed. When he came downstairs, Sephiroth, Sora's mom and Sora were all sitting in the living room. Upon his entrance Seiya had stood, coming over to hug him tightly. Sephiroth simply informed him he would not be returning to that house.

Riku had not seen or heard from his birth mother since. For all he knew, Sephiroth had killed her that day. Not that he really cared.

"Well Sora had a lot to do with that." Riku tossed a wadded up napkin at the spiky brunette who was asleep sitting up.

"Wha-" Sora snapped awake. "It wasn't me!"

Riku and Kairi rolled their eyes. Kairi slapped her companion's leg. "Actually, this time it was you."

"Huh?" Sora looked at her blankly. "What are you talking about?"

"Sephiroth."

"What about him?"

"How fast he got here when I was having trouble." Riku explained.

"Oh, well." Sora rubbed his neck. "Actually that wasn't so much me as it was Cloud."

Now Riku looked surprised. "How's that?"

"Yeah, see. I was getting really worried cause you were getting really depressed again and acting kinda off so I told Leon about it and he said-"

"Wait." Riku interrupted. "How'd you tell Leon?"

"Uh…" Sora bit his lip before reaching into his backpack and taking out a shut off phone.

"Leon gave you a phone?" Riku's jaw dropped. Even Kairi was surprised.

"Yeah. It's just so I could reach him if there was a problem, that's all." Sora rushed out.

Kairi narrowed her eyes suspiciously. She knew a little about Leon's… educating, of Sora; mostly from Riku. While she was grateful for it because it was what finally gave Sora the courage to ask her out, she knew Sora himself had some lingering things to work out because of it. The fact that she and he had not done anything more than heavy kissing in the month they had been together told her that.

She had not brought herself to ask Sora just how far things with the man had gone.

Riku snorted his disbelief but did not push it. "Anyway, so…"

"He said that Cloud was getting worried, too, because his last few conversations with you were weird. He had Cloud call me and it was after that he talked to Sephiroth and Sephiroth came here." Sora finished.

Riku had not known about that. Cloud had asked Sephiroth for help? Maybe there was hope yet for his lover and his brother learning to get along. Of course, he knew better than to push that hope, however very little bit of progress between those two he would count as a phenomenal success.

"I really should be getting home." He threw his head back to study the ceiling for a moment. "I was bad and waited until now to write my sociology paper that's due tomorrow."

"Taking tips from Sora, huh?" Kairi laughed.

"Nope, just being lazy." Riku stood up, hoisting his satchel. "I'll see you two tomorrow."

"Tell Cloud we say hi." Kairi grinned as Sora waved, again slouching over to sleep.

"I will." He promised over his shoulder.

Leaving the now established hangout, Riku took his phone from his back pocket. Thank every higher power there was for that little device. And thank Cid for figuring out how to rig them so that inter-world communication was possible.

He did not even have to look at the display anymore. Two tones later and that perfect filled his hearing. "I thought today was supposed to be a no call day."

"It is. I'm just walking home all alone and realized now would be a perfect time to make sure Leon hadn't worked you to death today."

"Right." Cloud said dryly.

"Well, it's not like I can do anything else while I'm walking so I might as well do something I like while doing it."

Cloud laughed. "Is it really that hard for you to go a day without hearing my pathetic voice?"

"I love your voice." Riku protested. "It's so low but not deep with just a hint of a rasp and that faint accent. I can get off just thinking about it."

"You're strange, Riku. You're the one with the sexy voice."

"Well, I already knew that." Riku rolled his eyes. "I'm the dead sexy one in this relationship. You're just the pretty."

"I'm not pretty."

"Yes, you are." Riku knew Cloud could hear the smirk in his words. "Just like a girl."

"That's it. I'm done talking to you."

"I love you."

"Oh, you think that will make it all better, do you?" Cloud tried to sound indignant. "Not this time, buster."

Riku blinked. "Did you just call me buster?"

There was a pause. "Yeah, I did. Wow. I have been spending too much time around Yuffie."

"I'm coming up to the house now."

"So you gotta go." His tone took a decidedly depressed quality.

"Yeah." Riku began fishing out the key to the small two bedroom house Sephiroth had rented while here. He had left it to Riku, the rent paid up until the end of the school year. In fact, his brother had paid everything up through then. "Not that I want to but you already know that."

"Just another week."

"Yeah, and it's gonna be long." He finally found the little metal object and slid it into the lock. "I can't wait to be able to see and touch you again."

"Same here. There's only so much a fantasy can do."

Riku grinned into the phone. "I know."

He tossed his bag onto a chair, hitting the lights. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Cloud repeated. "Get your work done then get some sleep. You sound tired."

"Yeah." He agreed. "Oh, Sora and Kairi say hi."

"They still together?"

"Yeah. Well, they're still saying it but honestly, I'm not sensing any chemistry between them at all. They act just the same as before only now they kiss on occasion."

"Who knows."

Riku pulled his textbook out. "I'm staying out of it. I really don't think Sora wants to be with her but he's trying because it's what she wants."

"Sounds like him. I'm curious to see what happens with Leon when you two get here."

"Yeah. That's gonna be interesting." Riku sat on the sofa with book and notebook. "There is clearly something going on there."

"Yeah. Anyway, go get your work done. I'll call tomorrow night."

"Make it late. I've got Jacen in the evening."

"Gotcha. Love you."

"Love you." He closed the phone and leaned his head against the back of the sofa. He sighed heavily, fighting the wave of depression that always followed calls with Cloud. He hated be away from his blonde love.

'Only one more week' he spoke firmly to himself.

He raised his head and opened his sociology book. The only good thing about homework was it made a great distraction.


	2. Chapter 2

Sora's mom is based off of Uzimaki-sama's character, she is used with permission.

Rewrite Aug 23.

* * *

"Both of them this time." Jacen commented with a grin as he let Riku, Sora, and Kairi into his one room office. "This should prove entertaining."

Sora had gone with to the therapist's office twice more after that first time with Riku before Winter Break. He was comfortable enough now that he went ahead to the fridge and did the water detail. After passing the bottles out, he sat beside Kairi on the couch. Riku and Jacen were in their usual spots.

"All right, Kairi," Riku spoke. "This is Jacen. Happy now?"

"For the moment." She waved at the man sitting cross-legged on the floor. "Hello, I'm Kairi."

"I guessed that but thank you." The brown-haired man smiled.

Kairi grinned as she glanced at Riku. "Now I just need to meet Cloud and I'll know everyone important."

"Does anyone here other than you and Sora know Cloud?" Jacen looked over at him also.

Riku shrugged. "Everyone knows of him."

"Mom's trying to convince Riku to have him visit here," Sora explained. "I think it's a good idea."

"Same here." Kairi agreed.

Riku sighed, unscrewing the cap of his bottle. "Can you guys seriously see Cloud here? He'd be miserable, worse than Cid was."

"Oh, he'd survive." Kairi countered.

"Yeah." Sora nodded.

"I'm afraid of what your mother would do to him." Riku smirked lightly. "Or have you forgotten what she did to my brother?"

Kairi snickered before an outright laughing. "That was so funny! I thought he was gonna kill her, I really did!"

"Hey! He never told her to stop." Sora folded his arms.

Jacen frowned. "All right, I'll bite. What did she do?"

"She braided his hair." Riku answered. "And not just one thick braid, oh no. Seiya had to do the whole dozens of tiny ones."

"But he let her!" Sora again protested. "You realize he had to sit there for _hours_ for her to finish all that hair. Sephiroth has a ton of hair."

"It's thick too." Kairi noted, her voice getting quiet. "And really soft and smooth. It's so nice to run through your fingers."

The three men stared at her and she giggled, one hand covering her mouth. "Hehe, well someone had to help or it never would have been finished."

Jacen had the opportunity to meet Sephiroth twice and the man had literally scared the hell out of him. Yet despite the absolutely intimidating aura he held, once he managed to actually speak with the man, he could clearly see how devoted he was to his young brother. After their second discussion, he found himself rather liking the guy. "I hope someone got pictures."

"Seiya tried but that's where Seph drew the line." Riku chuckled once. "He's big on the 'leave no evidence' idea."

"Not surprising." Jacen muttered. "He's so obviously military it's… well, he reminds me of a special ops guy I use to know."

"Yeah, those soldier types do tend to stand out don't they?"

"Any way," Jacen straightened his back out. "Getting back to the original subject, why wouldn't Cloud want to come here? Why should it always be you going to him?"

"See?" Kairi pointed at Riku. "I told you. It isn't fair that it's always you running all over the Kingdom. He should come to you every once in a while."

"But it's easier for us to do that." Sora responded before Riku could. "Leon and them have a ton of work they're doing. All we've got is school."

Kairi gave him a hard look. "What does Leon have to do with Cloud coming here?"

"Well, uh, you expect Cloud to wanna come all this way by himself?"

"He's a grown man, Sora. He's more than capable of traveling by himself." Her voice raised a little. "Just like Riku doesn't need you to follow him around at the time."

"I'm not following him around!" Sora protested.

"Then why is it necessary for you to go with him next week?"

"He doesn't have to go with." Riku interrupted.

Kairi looked at him before staring at Sora. "You said he wanted you to go with him."

Sora glanced between the two. "Well, usually he does. If he doesn't then…"

Riku narrowed his eyes at his younger friend. Sora was being evasive with Kairi. He was getting panicky and that told Riku there was something huge hovering around Sora's shoulders. He had a really good idea what it was but kept his mouth shut to see what Sora did.

The boy had to learn to stand for himself.

"I want to go with." Sora's voice wavered a bit but he continued. "I like going to see my friends."

"You have friends here too." Kairi argued.

"I know, but…" Sora fished for words. "It's just different, Kai. I can't explain it."

Kairi looked like she was going to scream. She clearly did not like what she was hearing and knowing her, probably clearly understood exactly what Sora was not saying. "So what, you wanna leave the Islands too?"

"I… I don't know." Sora shook his head.

Riku gave Jacen a look. The man was taking in all of this quietly. Riku had voiced some of his concerns about Sora over a few sessions and now he got to see it firsthand. Jacen was frowning a bit. He knew Sora well enough to know this was not like him.

He glanced back at Riku and barely nodded. Clearing his throat, Jacen stood. "Well, guys. Unfortunately, time's about up and since it's a miserable day out, I say we finish early."

Kairi was glaring at the floor; Sora studied the armrest intently, expression tense. Riku got out of his chair. He went over to Kairi and gently took her arm. "Come on, Kai."

She stood and followed him wordlessly.

Sora was about to also rise but Jacen halted him. "Hang on a minute, Sora."

He silently closed the door and turned back to the brunette and waited.

It wasn't long of a wait.

Sora's head dropped into his hands. "Ugh! I don't know what I'm doing anymore! I just, I don't want to be here. I don't belong here. I'm not happy here. I've tried but it just isn't… And Kairi, she just doesn't get it and she gets so frustrated which just frustrates me cause I hate seeing her upset but she doesn't know me anymore! I'm not the same.

"But Leon and Riku and all them, they get me. They understand who I am but I don't want to abandon Kairi. She's important to me and I don't want to hurt her. She doesn't deserve this."

Sora paused in his tirade, taking a deep breath before laughing sharply. "And I still don't know why I'm dating her."

"You care for her, right?" Jacen prodded lightly.

Sora nodded. He looked up at the man with large blue eyes. Though they were bright with unshed tears, they were absolutely clear. "I love her but I'm not in love with her."

---

Riku and Kairi stood just inside the door outside. He watched the rain poor down as he held his friend in one arm as she sniffled. She had not actually cried but it was a near thing.

"He's really come to hate it here, doesn't he?" She asked, her voice trembling.

"He doesn't hate it."

"You do."

He sighed. "I never hated this world. I'm just not happy here. It's difficult to explain, Kai. You had it a lot easier when you came back because one, you hadn't been gone long and two, most of that time you were unconscious. Sora and I, we came back completely changed people. And while we had changed, nothing here had.

"At first, we both thought we could adjust. I broke almost immediately because this wasn't home. My heart just isn't here. I'm so different from everyone and I know it. Even Cloud can't fully understand but he doesn't try to. Sometimes, it's better to step back and just let someone be who they are. You don't have to understand every little thing to love someone."

Kairi wiped at her nose, pulling away. She then watched the rain with him. "Sora doesn't love me. Not like a boyfriend should."

When the older teen did not speak, she glanced at him. "You knew that, didn't you?"

Riku faced her. "No. I knew he was conflicted, it's painfully clear how badly. He still is but the answers are starting to come together for him."

"Do you think he's in love with someone else?" It was obvious she had a particular someone in mind.

"Not really." Riku turned back to the outside view. "Sora's problem is deep down, he loves everyone. He's never before tried understanding how differently he can love each person. He's confused by each of those different feelings."

He chuckled from the back of his throat. "Hell, up until Winter Break he thought he was in love with me."

She suddenly laughed. "I think he still is in love with you but it's that unrequited kind that you know is there and simply accept will never happen. I mean, you've been in love with him since before all of this began."

Riku frowned but found he really had no argument with that statement.

She continued. "I guess that's the category I'm gonna have to accept. He and I aren't going to work."

"Kai-"

"No," She smiled at the tall boy. A few tears escaped but her voice was strong. "Just don't, okay. I'll be all right."

He nodded. "If it helps, I love you, too."

The red head giggled, putting on a little pout. "You slut. You're just trying to get everyone now."

"Hey, spread the love."

She smacked him lightly and he wrapped her in a hug. "Thanks, Riku."

"I owe it to you guys. I'd of long been dead if it hadn't been for you two butting into my life."

"Hey, guys. Getting awfully friendly there, aren't you?" Jacen's voice came from the stairs. Sora was coming down in front of him, face a little red.

Riku released Kairi who moved away and wrapped her arms around Sora. The brunette froze a bit before closing his arms around her. He looked over her shoulder at Riku. Giving him a weak smile, he gently moved Kairi to the side, holding her hand.

"Well, guys, ready to get drenched?" Riku tilted his head.

"I can give you something." Jacen offered.

"Nah," Riku waved it off. "I think running through the rain screaming will do us some good."

Sora and Kairi grinned.

Jacen shook his head as the three ducked out. They would be fine. Those three had a friendship everyone should envy.


	3. Chapter 3

Rewritten Sept 8

* * *

"Sora, wake up." A low voice prodded.

"Mmm, don't wanna." The brunette threw his covers over his head.

"Come on. Your mom's making this huge breakfast for us."

"Why?"

Riku's reply was flatly sarcastic. "We're leaving today."

"Oh, yeah." Sora sat up, suddenly wide awake.

"Kairi's already downstairs helping her." Riku was sitting on the edge of the bed. "She seems okay."

"Yeah," Sora frowned, rubbing at his eyes. He and Kairi had decided last night that they needed to have a serious discussion about their relationship. "Last night really didn't turn out to be much of a talk. I guess she had already made her decision after talking to you."

Riku nodded. "Are you upset?"

"About what? Breaking up with her or her discussing our relationship with you?" Sora pulled the blankets away to swing his legs out. "Naw, I'm fine. She's a little hurt and things will be a little weird for a while but we'll be fine. She seems to think I like someone else."

Riku smirked. Oh he was so tempted to say it but kept his mouth shut. He would not get involved in Sora's love life unless he absolutely had to. He and Cloud had agreed to just sit back and watch.

"So what's Mom making?" Sora searched his cluttered room for clothes. Usually the place was a disaster but since Seiya had washed all his clothes yesterday it was merely a mess. "Where is my… oh."

Riku shrugged. "I didn't get the chance to look. She sent me up here to wake your lazy ass up. Smells like there's beignets involved."

Sora grinned widely. "Ooooh, really? Yum."

"Yeah, and if you don't hurry up I'm going to take them all." Riku stood.

"Don't even think it, Riku." Sora glared pathetically. His expression then did a total 180. "Oh, I have to take a shower."

Riku canted his head. "I thought you were going to take one last night."

"I did." Sora looked a bit embarrassed. "But I need one again now."

Riku could not help it. "Made yourself all sticky thinking about Leon again, huh?"

Sora threw a waded up shirt at him, his face flushing red. "No!"

"Go take your shower. I'll leave you a few beignets." Riku left the room and chuckled as he came down the stairs. Oh, the next week was gonna be fun.

In the kitchen, Kairi was setting the table as Seiya finished bustling around with food in various states of completion. Riku watched his female best friend for a moment. Yes she looked fine but there was a subtle frown on her face and a bit of tension to her movement. He sympathized with her.

"Is Sora coming down?" Seiya cracked a few eggs into a bowl.

"He wanted to grab a shower."

"Another?"

Kairi shook her head with a smile. "I told you."

Seiya giggled. "My baby has his first serious crush. Oh, I wish I could meet this guy."

"He is really sexy." Kairi finished her place setting. "I mean, like, really hot. He's got these gorgeous steel grey eyes and hair just a bit darker than Sora's that just touches his shoulders. And his body is just wow. Average height and slim with lean muscle. And he always wears leather!"

Seiya glanced at Riku who nodded in confirmation. "He's the bad ass with a huge heart type."

"My boy knows how to pick them." She finished her scrambled eggs and food began migrating to the table. "When were you planning to leave?"

"Yesterday." Kairi laughed. "I'm sure Riku wanted to leave the second school was out."

"I don't blame him. That guy of yours," Seiya whistled. She had looked through Riku's phone a few weeks ago and found his small collection of photos he had managed to nap of his boyfriend. "And it's hard to be separated for such long amounts of time."

"Yeah," Riku agreed. He thanked the higher powers every day that Seiya was the type of person who believed in aliens and all that. It was so helpful to all of them that she had accepted their story easily when they finally told her. In fact, she had been angry they did not tell her up front.

She repeatedly told them how proud she was of all three and wished that others could appreciate all that the teenagers had done for them. She felt it was horribly unfair that most of the worlds had no idea anything had happened. When they said that Radiant Garden was one of the exceptions and she was told about Cloud, she immediately began hinting she would like to go sometime.

When the time came for Cloud to meet the rest of Riku's family, she was first on the list.

Seiya went into the hallway. "Sora! You have five minutes!"

Riku sat backwards on an out turned chair. "Do we have to wait for him?"

"Of course not, baby." Seiya walked past him, rubbing his back. "You eat as much as you want."

Kairi grinned at him as he dove straight into the French pastries. "I knew you'd go straight for those. They've always been your favorite."

Riku spared a second to look at her with bright, happy eyes. He was getting his favorite breakfast and going to see the love of his life in only a few hours. Plus, he had the bonus of torturing his best friend and said love of his life's best friend. Life was perfect.

Sora came down, normally bouncy spikes dripping. He was wearing a barely too small blue t-shirt and baggy black cargo shorts. His shoes were blue and black and surprisingly trendy looking.

"Trying to impress someone?" Riku snickered.

"No." Sora retorted. He sat down beside Kairi. "Morning, Kai."

"Hi, Sora." Her smile came easy.

"Now you boys eat up. I don't want either of you to be hungry when you get to Radiant Garden. At least, not food hungry."

"Oh, jeez, Mom!" Sora groaned. "Could you try acting more like a mom and a little less teenager?"

"But I like her this way." Riku protested. Kairi nodded agreement.

Sora sighed but started shoveling food down his throat. After most of the food was gone, Sora eating as much as the other two together and in half the time, the boys cleared the table and began cleaning up. Or rather tried to.

"No, no." Seiya took the plate from Riku's hand. "Kairi and I will take care of this. Sora, go get your bag and both of you get out of here."

Sora ran up the stairs and Riku gave Seiya a tight hug. "I'm _soo_ glad your Sora's mother."

"Hey, I'm your mother too. I have always thought of you as my son." Seiya spoke sincerely, returning the embrace. "I will always be here for you. When your brother left, he asked me to watch over you and I told him he didn't need to ask."

"Sephiroth really liked you."

"And I liked him." Seiya moved away. "I wouldn't have invited him back at anytime if I didn't."

Sora came bounding down the steps with two shoulder bags. "I'm so mad they gave us homework over break!"

"Do it on the ship." Riku commented. "You'll have plenty of time then."

"Yeah, I know." Sora grumbled. He came over to his mom and gave her a quick hug. "Well, Mom, we'll be back."

"Behave yourself." She kissed his cheek and whispered. "And enjoy yourself, all right? Flirt a little."

"Mom." Sora sighed.

Kairi went with them outside and the three stood in silence in the yard. "Well, guys, have a good time. Next time I'll find a way to come with."

"Aerith will really like that. She asks about you all the time." Sora grinned. He hugged her much more easily than he had been the past few weeks. Even she seemed a bit more relaxed.

"You have the camera, right? I want pictures of everyone." She gave Riku a pointed look. "Including at least one couple shot."

"Okay, okay." Riku conceded. "I'll get Cloud to take a picture with me somehow."

"And…"

"Yes, them too."

"Who, too?" Sora asked.

"Nothing." Kairi threw her arms around Riku's neck. She backed away and placed her hands behind her back. "Okay, guys, get going."

"We're gone."

--0—0—

They had hidden the gummi ship Cloud had given them on the last trip on the small island behind the play island where Cid had originally picked them up. It was small enough to fit in one of the larger clearings and had been colored to blend in with the foliage. They had gone out to check on it a few days prior.

Sora started the ship up while Riku stashed their bags in the back. He did his best to keep his excitement down but really could not help the constant grin on his face. When Riku returned to sit beside him, he gave a sidelong glance to the silver haired boy, noticing the almost indifferent expression he wore. "How are you so calm?"

Riku raised an eyebrow. "Calm?"

"Yeah." Sora started launch procedures. As the ship rose, he explained. "You've been beside yourself waiting to see Cloud all month and yet here you are, calm and collected as always. I don't have nearly the reason to be going and I'm freakin' shaking over here."

"I know what's waiting for me," Riku stated. "This trip could bring about a lot of changes for you."

"I guess." Sora shrugged. They had reached far enough out from Destiny Islands to kick in the warp drive and Sora leaned back with hands behind his head. "And now we have eight hours of nothing."

"There's always homework."

The younger boy made an ick face.

"Fine, then we'll talk about something else." Riku leaned forward, aqua eyes intent. "Are you interested in Leon or not?"

Sora's face scrunched up. "I don't want to talk about that."

"Sora."

"Look, I don't know, okay." Sora sat upright. "I'm just really confused about the whole thing. Yeah, Leon and I did some stuff but I know it was only because he was trying to help me get more comfortable with the whole sex thing. I mean, he even said as much."

Riku frowned. He had not heard that part of the story. "Leon told you he wasn't interested?"

"Well, he said after the first time that there wouldn't be other times but there were." Sora spoke slowly, a hint of shyness to his tone. "I actually flat out asked him if he would ever consider sleeping with me and all he said was he wasn't grossed out by the idea."

"You actually asked him that?" Riku was stunned. "That was a rather gutsy move."

Sora shrugged. "I really wanted to know."

"So I guess the question is; do you want to sleep with Leon?"

Sora stared out the viewing window and he really gave the question some thought. Finally, he looked back at Riku, eyes large and shining a bit. "I don't know, Riku, I really don't. All I know is I really like being with him."

Riku nodded slowly. Yeah, he understood that. He had gone through the same with Cloud. They would all just have to wait and see if this turned out the same way or not. "You know you can talk to me about it."

"Yeah, I do but it's just… I don't know." Sora shook his head. "Jacen said maybe it was just you were too close to the situation."

"So you did talk to Jacen about it."

"A little. You're not mad are you?"

"Naw, you needed it." Riku smirked. "Course I'll end up paying for it but…"

"Thanks, Riku."

"Don't thank me." Riku leaned back and folded his arms over his chest. "Just remember it when Cloud and I make enough noise tonight to shake the walls."

Sora groaned and Riku simply smiled falling into a light doze.


	4. Chapter 4

Rewritten Sept 10.

* * *

Somehow, Sora managed to focus enough to get a solid start on the ten page essay he had to do for Literature. As he scribbled out yet another sentence, he glanced over at his sleeping best friend. Hopefully, he could convince Riku to redo it for him because he knew what he had currently was crap.

There was still about an hour's travel left when he finally gave up on it. He could work on his Trig but he hated that more than Lit. Not quite sure why, he flipped to a new page in his notebook. He tapped his pencil against his jaw then brought it down to paper. He jotted down a few odd sentences and just kept going.

The approach alert startled him and he dropped the pencil. Well, that had been weird. He never got lost in writing like that before. He knew Riku often went into his own world when he drew; he called it his escape from reality.

He turned to the controls and began the landing procedures. A strange feeling of peace came over him as he looked out the window. Radiant Garden looked more inviting than ever. He was never as happy to return to Destiny Islands as he was when coming here.

Maybe he should think about moving here along with Riku. _This_ felt more like coming home.

"Wow, this is good."

Sora snapped his head to the side. Riku was sitting forward in his seat, Sora's notebook in his hand. He looked genuinely impressed. "Did you just write this?"

"Agh, don't read that, Riku! It's stupid."

"It's not stupid." Riku countered sharply. "This is amazing. It's really emotional."

"It's dumb," Sora muttered going back to the controls. "I shoulda scribbled it out like everything else."

Riku frowned at him. It was not a poem, nor was it really a journal. It was simply a collection of thoughts brought to paper but the questions it asked and the thoughts it expressed were horribly telling and to a degree heartbreaking.

"It's raining," Sora stated flatly. "I've never landed in the rain before."

"You going to be alright?" Riku silently tore the page out and folded it.

"Yeah, just gotta concentrate a bit more. Will you call Cid?"

"Yeah." He slipped the page in his pocket and took out his phone. He let Cid know they would be there in a few minutes and he told them to go ahead and land in the garage. Apparently, he trusted Sora's ability to fly enough to risk losing a wall.

As it was, Sora executed his maneuvers well. The touchdown was a bit heavy but everything else was smooth. Sora quickly gathered up his school stuff literally scooping the pile into his bag. He moved past Riku to snatch his other bag, then he was gone.

Riku chuckled to himself, hefting his own bag and leaving the ship.

Cid was nodding absently as Sora went through a step by step account of his first landing in the rain. Cid was clearly less than interested and he glanced over when Riku approached. "He been like this the whole trip?"

"Dunno. I passed out."

"Fuck, no wonder he's a fucking chatter box."

"I think he's excited about being here."

"Well, he ain't the only one but I tell ya, Cloud and Leon are a hell of a lot quieter about it."

Riku grinned. Of course they were. "Know where they're at?"

"Probably the library. We finally got that mess worked out." He brushed the tip of his nose. "It looks good."

"Come on, Riku." Sora marched toward the door.

Cid raised an eyebrow.

"Man," Riku held up a hand. "Don't even ask."

"Are we going to drop our stuff first or simply barge into the library with everything?" Riku asked with a trace of amusement. Sora was nearly running, a definite bounce in his step.

"We'll drop our bags first, of course." He sounded like Riku should have known this.

"Best to have both arms free when you see Leon."

"Yeah," Sora stopped. "Wait, no. Ugh! Riku, stop already, okay?"

Riku frowned. Sora really seemed agitated with the teasing. "Yeah, ok. You know I'm only teasing."

"Yeah, I guess but it's really bugging me."

"Then consider the subject dropped for now."

Sora weakly glared at the 'for now' but nodded. They walked over to the house and dropped their bags on the couch, walking right back out. The library was situated on the other side of town, down the road from the school. It was a good twenty minute walk if one hurried.

The Keyblade wielders made it in fifteen.

Through the scaffolding and construction items, the new stone façade of the outside could just be seen. Much of the original masonry had been restored and overall, it really was looking pretty good. Not that either of them paid all that much attention.

They walked up the few steps and in that usual unison of theirs, pushed opened the double doors. Light spilled down from a partially stain-glassed ceiling. There was a sparse spread of dust in the air that little rainbows of color filtered through.

A few workers moved about, doing various things and the banging of hammers and the droning of drills echoed loudly in the open space. The few pieces of furniture were covered with canvas along with the bookcases. Near what was likely the information desk, the marble floor was being worked on.

Cloud's blonde hair totally stood out among the group he was working with. That and he looked completely miserable and out of place. Apparently, he was the holding guy today. He was kneeling to the side, occasionally handing a replacement tile to one of the other men.

Smirking, Riku asked loudly, "So how many have you broken?"

Shatter. "Fuck."

"He was doing all right until now." The worker next to him commented, reaching over to begin picking up the broken tile. He did not sound too upset, more like he had been waiting for it. "I've got this and we can finish without you. Go."

Cloud was up on his feet before the statement was finished.

Sora had already stepped away by the time Cloud reached them The couple did not bother with words, letting their lips communicate another way. Sora glanced at the workers, most of whom ignored the little display. Two looked quite stunned, probably due to Cloud's rather uncharacteristic display of emotion, while one seemed downright disgusted.

Sora frowned at that. While he knew not everyone could be accepting of same sex relationships, this was the first time he had come across that reaction here. On the Islands, being gay was frowned upon and the few Sora knew of kept it quiet. Even Riku, while he did not actively keep it a secret certainly didn't advertise it. But here had seemed different.

"So you made it."

Sora looked up at the scaffolding across the way. Leon leaned over the rail, both arms draped over it. His shaggy hair hung some in his face, casting interesting shadows across his eyes. He was not smiling but Sora knew he was happy. Something in his expression said it.

"Of course we did!"

"Well, the way Donald complained about your flying…"

"You know what, Donald can go to hell. He's always critizing me and you know what made it worse?" He threw his hands out. "Half the time I didn't even understand him! That whole first month together was a nightmare. Thank goodness for Goofy; he wasn't bad."

"Oh, you know they're your best friends." Riku had pulled away from Cloud. Though the two still stood close, it was much more casual.

"Well, yeah, of course they're my friends." Sora agreed. "I wouldn't have spent two years hanging out with them if they weren't."

Leon had moved to the end of the scaffold and taken hold of a rope. The rope itself was wrapped around a pulley. Climbing over the edge, he rode the rope down to the ground floor. He hit the floor lightly.

"Sora." Riku shoved his arm. "You're staring."

"Huh?" Sora blinked, turning away from the leather-clad brunette approaching him. He hissed at Riku. "I was not staring."

"Yes, you were." A hand latched on to his shoulder. Leon was right beside him, looking at him with a light smirk. "Come on. You need to see what we did with the courtyard."

Sora groaned in defeat. Okay, yeah he was staring but how could he not? Ugh, this was gonna be a long week.

He let Leon steer him out of the lobby. He felt a peculiar peace settle over him having that large hand resting so comfortably on his shoulder. He really enjoyed the contact.

"Things better back home?"

Sora shook his head. Man, was he zoning out. "Huh? Oh, you mean Riku? Yeah, they're a lot better. I think Sephiroth coming was exactly what was needed."

"Good. What about you?" The tone was casual. "Still with Kairi?"

"Uh, no. We decided to split right before we left." Sora watched the floor as they walked.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't be, I'm not." Was it his imagination or had Leon's fingers brushed the back of his neck? "It just… wasn't right, ya know?"

The man made a slight noise from the back of his throat. His hand had definitely moved more toward his neck and those long fingers were lightly running near the base of it. It made him tingly and sleepy at the same time.

They emerged into the outdoor foyer between the two wings of the library; the building formed a U-shape around it. There were five fountains running, one at each corner and a larger central one they each fed off of. Cobblestone walkways wound around with a few benches and tables scattered throughout.

"Wow. This is amazing!" Sora stepped ahead, taking in his surroundings. "I could totally do my school work here. It's really peaceful."

He turned back; Leon was just watching him with that small smile of his. He smiled at him like that a lot. It gave him butterflies and he blushed slightly. "It's really beautiful here."

"Good." Leon folded his arms. "It was a nightmare putting it all together. The fountains simply did not want to cooperate. Sephiroth finally got it working."

Sora had to look away. "Cloud talk to him about that?"

"Aerith did. Cloud only talks to Sephiroth when it involves Riku."

"Right."

There was a peculiar silence that made Sora fidgety. He felt this urge to do something but he had no idea what. He found himself hoping Leon would try something. What, of course, he did not know either. Oh man, hopefully the whole trip was not going to be like this.

"I've got to get back." Leon dropped his arms and turned back for the doors. "You coming?"

"Yeah." Sora nodded, walking back to stand beside the man. He risked a quick glance up and saw that same smile. "It feels good being here."

The smile increased, as if Leon realized there were two levels to that statement.


	5. Chapter 5

Rewritten Sept 17. Cameos from Fruits Basket and Tenjho Tenge.

* * *

Surprisingly, Cloud and Riku had not disappeared. They were still in the lobby, talking to two of the workers that had been on the scaffolding with Leon. They seemed to be having a grand old time.

"Well, it's nice to see we all have so much free time." Leon spoke flatly.

"They were waiting for you and," Cloud smirked, "your buddy."

"Whatever. We're done for today, guys. Go on home."

The men nodded, giving little salute waves.

"You guys, too." Leon called over to the floor workers. "Get out of here. We'll finish tomorrow."

After a few minutes, the townspeople were gone. "I say we all go check out the new restaurant across town."

Three sets of eyes stared at Leon.

He suddenly laughed. "Don't be so surprised, people."

He walked toward the front doors. Upon reaching them, he paused. "Are you three coming?"

Cloud, Riku, and Sora shared a confused look. Shrugging, they followed after him. As they walked, Riku leaned over to Sora. "What did you do to him?"

"Nothing! I swear."

"You did something," Cloud muttered.

"Well, I didn't mean to." Sora protested.

Cloud threw an arm around Riku's waist. "That's the best kind."

Leon was on the phone when they caught up with him. He glanced at them as he spoke. "Yeah. I didn't think you'd mind. Sure. We'll drop it off on the way back."

He pocketed the phone. "I need a shower before we go."

"So, we're going home first." Cloud clarified. "Should we call ahead or anything?"

"Already done." They walked as a group down the street.

They quieted down and walked the rest of the way to the house. They were all quite comfortable together, Cloud and Riku close together and Leon and Sora just ahead. It simply felt natural.

At the house Leon went ahead, brushing against Sora's arm before disappearing upstairs. The youngest member of the group blushed a bit. Sora sat in the corner chair, looking thoughtfully out the window.

Riku smiled a little. He glanced back at Cloud who looked rather amused. Apparently, they were not going to have to get very involved with their friends' relationship.

Tilting his head to the side, Riku motioned Cloud toward their bedroom. When had he started thinking of it as theirs? Cloud nodded and headed in that direction with Riku on his heels.

Riku quietly shut the door behind him. "Well, those two seem to be doing all right on their own."

"Yeah."

Riku wandered over to Cloud. He wrapped long arms around him and gazed into those blue eyes he adored. "I haven't been properly greeted yet."

"Oh, haven't you?" The blonde smirked lightly. "I thought I was rather thorough considering the audience."

"You know I'm never satisfied."

"I beg to differ." Cloud ran his fingers slowly beneath the younger man's shirt along his solid chest. "I've seen you quite satisfied several times."

"Hmm."

Those fingers passed shoulders to thread through silver hair. They aggressively tugged and forced Riku's head toward Cloud. He brought his lips to the other and after a second worked his tongue into the equation. Riku moaned into the action.

Leaning his weight forward, Riku brought their bodies closer. Cloud fell back onto the mattress and the teen climbed over him, never breaking their kiss. When he did finally pull away, it was only to remove each other's shirts. Once that was done, mouths once again latched on to every spanse of skin they could reach.

--0—0--

In the main room, Sora was still gazing out the window, a small smile gracing his face. He honestly felt happier than he had in over a month. He was not entirely sure what the cause was but at that moment didn't really care.

He was not overly surprised how glad he was to see Leon. It was the weird stirring in the pit of his stomach he had gotten earlier that had him wondering. What exactly had that been? It was not uncomfortable per say but just… strange. There had been a few what he now called moments with Leon. times were everything just seemed to stop when Leon looked at him a certain way or gave him one of those rare smiles that seemed to be reserved for him.

But this afternoon, the _feeling_ was just so much stronger and somehow different.

"Those two are holed up in their room, aren't they?" Leon walked downstairs, bare chested, toweling off his shoulder length sable hair.

Sora stared at him for nearly a full minute before noticing something that made him gape. "You're wearing jeans."

"What? Oh, yeah." He shrugged. "I don't wear leather all the time."

"Sure fooled me." Sora muttered. He could not believe how good the man looked in the relaxed fit blues. Yeah, Leon was the leather god but damn, even this was hot.

He turned back upstairs, giving Sora a nice view of sculpted back muscles. He pounded once on Cloud's door as he passed. "Knock it off, you two. You have all night."

When he returned to the living room, he had a black t-shirt in his hand. He walked back toward Sora, pulling it on and the teen noted that it was as tight as all his other shirts. He settled on to the couch with a sigh.

Sora watched Leon a moment before climbing out of his chair and sitting beside him. The older man glanced at him without moving his head. Sora carefully reached for his neckline and let his fingers brush that tanned neck as he took hold of Griever's chain and pulled it out from under the cloth.

Leon suddenly grabbed his hand. Eyes meet and neither of them was able to look away. He brought the hand up to his lips, lightly brushing the knuckles against them. Sora felt his heartbeat speeding up.

Leon studied the hand within his. Something in his expression changed and he let it go. The same hand that had been holding Sora's now ran through his shaggy, damp hair. "Look, Sora…"

He never finished. Cloud and Riku finally came out, both a bit flushed. Cloud had different clothes on, black pants with v-neck t-shirt. Riku looked the same only now his hair was down from its ponytail.

"Wow, Leon, what's the occasion?" Riku smirked. "I thought you only wore those for special events."

"Whatever." He stood. "Everyone ready?"

He did not wait for an answer, already heading out the door. Cloud and Riku looked at Sora with identical expressions. Sora only shrugged and stood. "No idea."

Then he followed after Leon.

Riku turned to Cloud who had a thoughtful expression. He waited for Cloud to explain and after a moment, the blonde sighed. "He's fighting it."

"Great." Riku muttered. "The age thing or his fear of abandonment?"

"Most likely the latter which means if anyone has a chance of breaking through, it's Sora. He's already gotten under the armor."

"Question is will he worm his way into his heart?" Riku echoed the earlier sigh. "Unfortunately, that's the one thing we can't really help with."

"Not directly."

"Come on." Riku tugged at Cloud's arm. "We don't want Leon to get annoyed."

--0—0--

The restaurant was the only true one in town and therefore rather busy. However, Leon's position as head of the Restoration and the added presence of the Keyblade Master gave them precedence over the others waiting. No one batted an eye when they were seated almost the moment they arrived.

"Well, this is a nice perk," Riku commented as they were placed at a table on the patio with a clear view of the mountains.

"The hostess seemed to know you pretty well," Sora glanced at Leon after telling the server his drink.

"Aya helps Aerith a lot with feeding everyone on the field," Leon explained, looking over the menu. "She and the owners here were of great help hence why this place got done so fast."

"Oh. Does that mean you've had some of this stuff before?"

"Most of it" He flicked his eyes at Sora. "Why? You want me to order for you?"

"Sure. I trust you."

An odd look crossed his face but it was quickly gone. He nodded once. "Cloud's had some of this before, too."

"I love you, Cloud, but I order my own food," Riku said flatly.

"Wasn't offering." Was the deadpan reply.

Drinks arrived and food orders were taken. Sora chatted as he usually did but he continuously glanced at Leon. Leon was leaned back in his chair, looking out at the mountains. Occasionally, grey eyes would flick over but he was clearly preoccupied with something. Riku and Cloud both kept detached eyes on him as they, mostly Riku, reacted to Sora's conversation.

Once the food arrived, Leon was still a bit removed. He did smile when Sora practically melted with his first bite of food. Yeah, he knew the kid well. And of course, that was what was causing him his internal discord.

It was obvious that what had started as an innocent flirtation had become something quite a bit more. Sora made him happy, always had and Leon had only wanted to help the boy out of his turmoil when he had initiated that first kiss. Even after that first make-out session, he told himself it was just a learning experience for Sora with someone he trusted.

But now, Sora simply would not leave him alone. Somehow, the optimistic teen had wormed his way completely under his shields and was now climbing into his carefully guarded heart.

He had not planned for this to happen.

"Leon." Sora's worried voice broke through his thoughts.

He looked over and Sora motioned with his head to the man standing beside him and Leon managed to smoothly greet the owner of the restaurant. He assured Kyo that everything was perfect and after the other three gave their agreement, the orange haired man, who up until then had a rather angry look about him, smiled.

He welcomed them back any time, free of charge then frowned again as a dark grey haired man passed by. He practically hissed at him before quickly apologizing and excusing himself to speak with his cousin. It seemed more like he wanted to fight than talk.

Sora looked at Leon again with concern and the older man found himself feeling a tightness in his chest. Sora should never frown, never be unhappy. "Ready to go home?"

Sora nodded and Riku grinned lecherously at Cloud. "More than ready."

Cloud appeared to be rather disgruntled. "I don't know what you're all anxious about. I didn't have my hand all over your thigh."

"You could have."

Sora rolled his eyes as he stood. He turned back to Leon and smiled. "Come on, Leon. If we run, maybe we can be asleep before they get too loud."

Leon smirked and took Sora's outstretched hand.


	6. Chapter 6

Rewritten Sept 22

* * *

They did get home quite a bit earlier than the other two. This was more likely because the couple did not want to wait until they got home and Riku was currently being pressed up against a wall by Cloud in one of the alleys along the way. It was a really good thing they did not need to worry about safe sex.

Leon flicked on a light and tossed his jacket rather carelessly on one of the bar stools. He then fell back on the sofa with a quiet sigh. Sora watched him a moment before coming over to sit near him. "You okay?"

"Yeah. It's just been a long day." And all this thinking he was suddenly doing did not help.

"Oh." He bit his lip. There was an awkward silence and it made him want to squirm. "I really like those jeans on you."

Oh, that was brilliant. He really had not meant to say that.

Leon turned his head to glance at him. "You do?"

"Uh, well, yeah." Sora stumbled out. "It's different."

Leon continued looking at him.

Suddenly he sat up and moved toward Sora. He brushed the youth's cheek with his thumb and something in his grey eyes made Sora's stomach flutter. Leon mumbled a thanks before slowly withdrawing his hand.

Sora stopped him by taking hold of the retreating hand. He had no idea why but he moved the man's hand to his lip and kissed the palm of it. He did not look at him as he did. When he released the hand, he bit his lip, embarrassed by his actions.

Then that same hand cupped his chin. He was pulled a bit forward and his eyes fell shut as Leon leaned in and kissed him. It started clean, a simple pressing of lips but grew in its intensity. Mouths opened to allow tongues entrance and Leon's hand slipped back to lightly grip Sora's neck.

Despite the growing urgency of the actions, something within Sora relaxed. As he was pushed back and Leon climbed over him, never breaking their contact, Sora knew this was what he wanted. This moment just felt right.

Then Leon's phone rang.

Leon moved away from him, staring down at Sora's flushed face. Something in those eyes shifted and he stood, walking a few steps away to answer the call. Sora remained laid back against the sofa arm, breathing a bit heavily. After a minute, Leon hung up and grabbed his jacket.

"I have to take care for something. It's going to take a while so I'll see you in the morning." He did not even look at Sora.

"Okay." Sora watched him leave. Alone in the room, he let his head drop back and sighed.

--0—0--

Leon walked down the cobblestone road, hands in his pockets. Cid's call had been absolutely perfect timing. He had not meant to kiss Sora like that and he certainly had not planned to push the boy back against the cushions. He did not want to think about where it might have lead to.

Why couldn't he control himself around the boy?

He knew he should not be worrying about this so much. Sora seemed to want this as much as he did, though Leon was still trying to deny it. He knew if Sora wanted to stop he would say so and he knew himself well enough to know he would be able to stop himself if it ever came to that. So, why was his stomach twisting up in knots?

He ran a hand through his shaggy hair. He would think more on this later; right now he had work to do.

--0—0--

Riku groaned loudly as Cloud pushed him against the brick wall. They had only made it half way home before the shorter man had shoved him roughly into a dark alleyway. Of course, this was what Riku had been wanting since the restaurant. He had made it a point to continuously touch the blonde at every accessible sensitive spot he had.

Cloud's grip on his shirt was tight and he pressed the full length of his body against his younger lover. He kissed him deeply, sucking on Riku's lower lip as he drew away. He practically hissed at Riku. "I am going to make you suffer."

"Sadist."

"Masochist."

Cloud went to work on Riku's neck. When Riku tried to move his hands, Cloud held them to the wall behind him. "Don't think so," he murmured against pale skin.

Riku smiled in amusement before a wave of absolute bliss overtook him and he nearly dropped. What did Cloud just do below his ear? Whatever it was, it sent a surge through him and he wanted Cloud to take him _now_.

The blonde chuckled as he drew away and turned his back on the quivering teen barely standing against the wall. He began walking away and smiled at the sudden whimper he heard. "You coming?"

Riku breathed out a 'thought I was'. He reached out to latch on to Cloud's arm. He tried to pull him back to him but Cloud easily shrugged him off.

The silver haired one actually whined. "Please, Cloud."

"Oh, you can beg better than that."

Riku pouted. He moved from the wall and wrapped his arms around Cloud's hips. When he pressed himself into them, Cloud bit his lip but said nothing. Silver hair fell in a curtain before Riku's eyes as he tilted his head forward and gazed at Cloud pleadingly through them.

Cloud could never resist that look.

Riku was back against the wall and his belt was being frantically undone. He made short work of Cloud's own belt as he bent to devour the younger man's neck and shoulder joint. He nipped repeatedly, determined to leave marks.

The moment the restricting articles of clothing were out of the way, Cloud's right hand went to work between Riku's legs. Riku moaned wantonly, his fingers pushing up Cloud's shirt to run along his muscled abs and chest. Very quickly he decided he was done waiting and bit the blonde's ear. "I want you _now._"

Cloud grunted as he lifted one of the teen's legs to position him better. He took him roughly, their sweat the only lubrication and both were openly moaning and groaning as their bodies formed a rhythm that was completely theirs. They kept their eyes on one another and knew each other's expressions well enough to know when the other was about to tumble over the edge.

Riku held himself back, wanting to finish with Cloud. When those blue eyes dulled and became hazy, he let himself go, nearly screaming. Cloud's cry was quieter but no less intense.

The blonde fell against him panting, pressing Riku's already abused back into the wall. They caught their breath, languidly touching each other. There was no need for words anymore for they knew the other so well at this point that words were almost redundant.

Riku's arms tightened around the smaller man's waist. And he felt Cloud smile against his chest. "Let's go home."

They walked the abandoned street holding hands. Neither one cared who saw, simply wanting to feel that small connection. It was the light reassurance that the other was there.

A downstairs light was on and they glanced at one another. That was odd and neither was sure what it meant. "Maybe we should go in the back."

"No." Cloud shook his head. "If there's anything going on it won't be in the living room. It's more likely they got caught up and didn't shut off the light."

They went up the steps together and entered the house. Riku glanced to the side and saw Sora sitting there, moody expression on his face. Well, that certainly did not look right on him. "Where's Leon?"

"He got a call and had to leave." Sora answered, a trace of annoyance in his voice.

Cloud raised an eyebrow. "Who called?"

Sora shrugged.

Riku was studying his best friend intently. Something was definitely off about Sora. There was something unfamiliar about his attitude... Suddenly, it clicked and he grinned like an idiot. "You're frustrated!"

"What?"

Riku laughed. "Just what were the two of you doing when he got this call?"

"Nothing." Sora glanced away.

"Nothing your ass!" Riku folded his arms. "You were making out and I dare say you were highly enjoying it. That's why you're frustrated!"

Sora frowned. "I'm not…"

Riku shook his head. "Don't even try to give me that, Sora. You are horny as hell."

The brunette pursed his lips angrily.

Cloud wisely kept quiet but there was a small smile on his face. Clearly, he agreed with Riku.

"Whatever." Sora stood. "I'm going to bed."

As he brushed past Riku, the older one caught his arm. "You won't be able to sleep like this. Take a shower, work some of it off."

Sora stared at him. He was not stupid. He knew exactly what Riku meant by that. He was not going to masturbate in someone else's house! What was Riku thinking? That would just be too weird.

Riku let him go with a smirk. "Trust me."

Yeah, sure. Trust the sex fiend. Sora went upstairs, changed clothes and climbed into Leon's bed. He was fine. Riku was reading too much into things, seeing what he wanted to.

He shifted, burying his head into the pillow. It smelled like Leon's hair. He shifted his head again, pulling the blanket up to use that with the pillow. Only the blankets simply reeked of that unique scent that was Leon. With an irritated grunt, he lay on his back and stared at the ceiling.

Ten minutes passed and faint noises could be heard from Cloud and Riku's room. Those noises gradually increased, becoming thumps and identifiable moans. Sora pressed the pillow to his ears but he knew it would not help. It never did.

Another ten minutes, and he could not take anymore. Grumbling to himself, he threw the blankets off and got out of bed. He glared down at the lower half of his anatomy. Damn it all, he would go take that shower and deal with his problem.

Hopefully by then those two will have quieted down enough for him to sleep.

--0—0--

Sora did not end up getting much sleep that night. He woke up from a fitful rest around five in the morning. He glanced beside him but already knew Leon was not there. Something big must have happened for him to still be gone. He hoped he was all right.

Knowing he was not going to be getting any more sleep, he got up and made his way to the front room. Noticing the light had never been turned off, he flicked the switch and went back into the kitchen. Getting some juice, he drank it slowly trying to not think too much.

Riku had been right last night. A good portion of his moodiness had disappeared after his 'shower'. So that was what sexual frustration felt like. He had felt the odd urges before and that certainly had not been the first time he had masturbated but this had been so different.

And even after taking care of the physical side of it, he still felt this peculiar need.

He needed to talk to someone about this and he was honestly too embarrassed to do so with Riku. He loved his best friend and he knew he could go to him with anything and Riku would do his damnest to help but this, this just felt weird. But who else was there?

Suddenly, Riku's therapist came to mind.

Jacen had been very helpful with the Kairi situation and he already knew a great deal about Sora's confusion. He had said he would be willing to talk to him again about things.

Sora looked around and located Riku's discarded pants near the table. He knew those two had started their activities out here. He went over and fished through the back pockets. Taking out the phone, he flipped it open and scrolled through the address book.

He found Jacen's number and copied it into his, then put Riku's phone back. It would be about nine in the morning on the Islands. That was not too early. He topped off his juice and sat on the sofa.

Hesitating a moment, he set his jaw, called the number and hit the send key. He waited for the voicemail to run through before recording his message. "Uh, hi. This is Riku's friend, Sora. Uh, well, I just wanted to talk to you about something but don't worry if you're busy. I mean, I'm not even your patient so, uh. Yeah, you know never mind. Sorry."

He hung up quickly and pressed the hand with phone to his head. That was stupid.

He chastised himself for another five minutes before being startled by the generic ring tone on his phone. He glanced at it and was surprised Jacen was calling him back. He picked up his juice and answered it. "Hi, Jacen. Sorry to bother you."

"It's alright. I've only got a few minutes but you sounded distraught. What's up?"

"It's about Leon."

"Ah. I kinda figured that. Tell you what, I have an appointment now but I'm available after it for an hour. How bout I call you back then?"

"Really? You'd do that?"

"Yeah. Just don't tell the board I'm giving out freebies."

Sora had no idea what that meant but was suddenly feeling a whole lot better. "Yeah, of course. Thank you."

"No problem, Sora. Is everything else going well?"

"Oh, yeah. Riku and Cloud were at it half the night."

"Were they?"

"Yeah." Sora paused. "I think they're really serious now. Like, I don't know but they're different. It's kinda nice to see."

"Good. Tell me about it later. I've got to get going."

"Oh, okay. Thanks."

"You're welcome." Jacen hung up and Sora grinned. Maybe he would be able to figure this all out after all. It was nice having a therapist who was not his therapist.


	7. Chapter 7

REWRITTEN Oct 3.

* * *

Feeling ambitious, Sora decided to try his hand at making breakfast. That was one of the few things he was fairly good at, particularly French toast. The other two would be waking up soon and he supposed he owed them for his moodiness last night.

He quickly set to work. This also would keep his mind off a certain sable-haired brooding friend of his. A friend he was really beginning to want as something more.

He shook his head of the thought and started some coffee.

Cloud came out to the kitchen first and Sora smiled to himself upon seeing him. One of the very few things he liked about his spiky hair was that bed head was never an issue. It looked like Cloud would agree.

"You're making French toast?" Cloud yawned behind his hand. He only wore baggy sleep pants.

"Obviously." Sora laughed.

"Well, you're back to your normal self." Riku commented, slipping past Cloud. "Is Leon still sleeping?"

"He didn't come home," Sora said softly. He kept his attention on the stove.

"What?" Riku turned. He gave Cloud a look and the blonde man nodded once, leaving the kitchen. "When exactly did he leave last night?"

"Uh, around ten," Sora answered, suddenly a bit panicked. "You don't think something happened to him, do you?"

"It's burning."

"What?" Sora glanced over to see smoke rising from the skillet. "Crap!"

He quickly moved it from the burner and dipped out the ruined food.

Riku chuckled.

"It's not funny, Riku."

"Yeah, it is." He folded his arms. "You are totally and completely distracted by Leon."

Sora opened his mouth to deny it but sighed heavily instead. He placed the metal back down and restarted his toast making.

Riku watched him for a few minutes. "Do you love him?"

The brunette remained focused on his task.

After another moment, Riku relaxed his arms. "Cloud's checking with Cid to see what's going on. If anyone knows, it's him."

Sora set the spatula down. "I'm an idiot."

"Well, I wouldn't go that far. You do do some stupid things sometimes and you're not always the brightest star in the sky…"

"No." He stuck his tongue at his best friend. "I could have called Leon and found out where he is."

"You haven't tried that yet?" Riku stared at him incredulously. He whapped the back of his head. "Call him, you goof. We're all probably worrying about nothing."

Sora dragged his phone out but it rang before he hit a button.

"Let me guess, Leon?"

"Uh, no." Sora bit his lip. "I have to go."

He darted past Riku. "Call Leon for me, okay?"

He zipped out the door.

Riku stared blankly at the spot his best friend formerly occupied. What the hell had that been?

Cloud reappeared, a curious frown on his face. "What was that?"

"Sora, just, raced out the door after his phone rang," Riku said numbly. "I don't think he wanted me to know who he was talking to."

"Well, Cid said Leon's been at the mill all night. The main saw busted and they spent all night fixing it." Cloud wandered over to the stove. He nabbed one of the now long cold French toast and bit into it. "I'm starving."

"I'm not surprised." Riku smirked. He tugged on Cloud's waistband, pulling him closer.

Cloud raised an eyebrow. "You going to be like this all week?"

"Probably," Riku murmured into his ear before nipping it. "Do you mind?"

The blonde rubbed a hand suggestively across the younger one's backside. "I don't know how I keep up with you."

"That better have not been an old man joke."

"Of course not."

Riku bent down, pressing a kiss to Cloud's smirking lips. He was rewarded with Cloud pulling him against his body and both of the older man's hands gripping his ass. He was pushed up against the counter as he tangled his fingers in blond spikes of hair.

Then Cloud's phone rang.

Riku tried to keep him close but Cloud managed to pull away enough to look at the display. Riku continued kissing and licking his mouth and lower jaw but after a moment Cloud pushed against Riku with an audible gasp. "Sorry, love, but I really have to answer this."

He pulled away and hurried out the front door exactly as Sora had done earlier. Again, Riku stood there alone and in confusion. Laughing at nobody, he grabbed a piece of French toast and decided to take a long shower.

--0—0--

Sora used the entire hour Jacen gave him and only felt a little better. The man had been very helpful but it had not done much for his uncertainty. He knew in the end he was the only one who could figure this out but damnit if wished someone would make up his mind for him.

He sighed as he returned to the house after wandering around on the phone. He had come across Cloud once, walking toward the moogle shop, but he was still babbling to Jacen so he only waved at him. The swordsman had looked a bit concerned upon seeing him but nodded.

He entered the house, figuring he would have to clean up the kitchen but a quick look showed that it had already had been taken care of. He guessed it had been Riku since his best friend was a bit of a neat freak. It was kind of nice having someone to help pick up after him when he wasn't feeling like it.

The house seemed empty and he figured he would go out and look for Leon. Maybe that's what Riku and Cloud were already doing. His phone battery had died so he went to throw it in the charger and go searching himself.

It turned out he did not have to.

He opened the bedroom door and Leon was sprawled out on his back on the bed. He was still dressed in his clothes from yesterday and simply looked exhausted. There was grime on his jeans and a little dirt on his face.

Sora studied him for a long moment before leaving the room. He got a damp cloth from the bathroom and returned. Quietly approaching the sleeping man, he sat gingerly on the edge of the mattress. He gazed down for a minute to stare at that face he knew so well.

It looked so different like this, totally relaxed, peaceful. He looked young, not much older than Riku or himself.

Sora carefully wiped the dirt from Leon's face. Once finished, he dropped the cloth to his lap and hesitantly used his other hand to reach out and lightly trace the scar that ran between those closed eyes. Leon murmured something in response and turned his head a bit.

Sora tossed the washcloth toward his worn clothes. Then almost automatically, he climbed into the bed beside Leon. He wrapped his arms around his shoulders and smiled when Leon settled into them. He lay there, holding him for some time before he got drowsy and fell asleep himself.

--0—0—

Riku had gone to the food market after figuring out neither Cloud nor Sora were going to return any time soon. He was rather annoyed with both of them for taking off like they did. What the heck was going on around here, anyway?

So far this trip was off to a really weird start.

Cloud was acting a bit secretively and Riku was getting worried. He had thought they were beyond the secrets. Something was up but he chose to hold his tongue and waited. This would be their final test; hopefully it was nothing. Trust was still a shaky issue with him.

He returned with a few things he noticed they needed, hoping Cloud would be back home by now. Unfortunately, the place was silent as he entered. He frowned a bit and quietly put the items away.

Deciding to get some of his anxiety out, he went upstairs to get his sketchbook. As he passed, he noticed Leon's door was slightly ajar. Curious, he glanced in and a huge smile crossed his face.

Sora was wrapped around Leon with the older man's head resting against his chest. One of Leon's arms was resting on Sora's hip and they looked perfectly content in each other's arms. He found himself watching them for a while.

A thin arm slid around him. "What are you looking at with such a benevolent smile?"

Riku stepped a little to the side. Cloud peered in and he also began smiling. "Well, it's something."

"Yeah. It will be interesting when they wake up."

Cloud tightened his hold on the slightly larger teen. He nuzzled into the side of Riku's face. "I love you."

Riku tilted his head slightly away. "What sparked that?"

"Just thinking." He pulled Riku from the doorway. "You think we look like that when we sleep?"

"No idea."

"Come on. I suddenly feel the need to take a nap."


	8. Chapter 8

Rewritten Oct 9.

* * *

Sora mumbled a protest when the warmth that had been seeping into his body slowly faded away. He reached out to draw it back but there was nothing there. Reluctantly, he cracked open an eye.

Leon had moved to sit on the edge of the bed. His back was turned to Sora and he was oddly tense.

Sora bit his lip in worry. Taking a chance, he sat up and on his knees slid over to Leon. Still behind him, he rested his chin on the older man's shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You're lying."

Silence.

The teen sighed and fell a bit to the side. He took in Leon's profile and frowned. The man was clearly troubled about something. His brows were drawn and his jaw locked. "I'm sorry."

Leon glanced at him in confusion.

"I must have done something." Sora studied his hands. "I should have just let you sleep. I probably started talking or something and woke you up."

Leon studied him for a long moment before blowing out a breath. "You didn't do anything wrong, Sora. I'm not upset with you." He sighed, mumbling, "Quite the opposite, actually."

"Huh?" Sora blinked.

"Nothing." Leon stood, stretching. His shirt seemed to move up with his arms. "What time is it?"

"Uh, no idea. Close to dinner?" It was becoming a little darker out.

"I need to shower and change. Last night sucked." He went to his dresser and pulled a few things out. Without another word, he left.

Sora fell back and stared at the ceiling. Something was wrong and it had to be something big if even he noticed it. Maybe Leon was getting tired of him. He was a bit clingy and Leon liked being alone. Maybe he wanted Sora to leave him alone.

Man, did that thought hurt his heart.

He rose from the bed and left the room, intent on the kitchen. Cloud was lounging on the sofa with his head in Riku's lap. They looked perfectly happy together, comfortable just being close. No worries, no tension, just at peace. Yeah, something had definitely changed between them.

"Hey, guys." Sora greeted, getting his juice.

Riku glanced down at Cloud for a moment, who nodded. Then the silver haired teen focused on Sora. "Are you and Leon going to be okay?"

"Huh?" Where the heck had that come from? "What do you mean?"

"Are the two of you going to be able to figure out this tension between you or do we have to force you?" Riku asked bluntly.

"Uh, tension?" Sora feigned innocence.

Riku knew Sora was not that dense. He merely narrowed his eyes at his best friend.

Sora caved instantly. His shoulders dropped and he shuffled over to the chair near the two. "I don't know. I want to do something about it but I think Leon wants out. This isn't what he agreed to, you know? I wasn't supposed to…" Sora sighed. "I just want to make him happy. I like it when he smiles at me cause he doesn't really do that for anyone else. And when I'm around him, I just feel good, you know?"

"Yeah, I get that." Riku played with Cloud's hair.

"Leon doesn't want this. Any time something happens, like we get close, he suddenly pulls away and almost acts like it never happened and it hurts." Sora bit his lip. "I guess he doesn't need a dumb kid like me."

"That isn't true, Sora." Cloud had his eyes closed. "He needs you much more than he knows. Just give him a little time. His heart has been very badly damaged and it's slowly healing but he's got to decide if he's willing to risk it again. I had to go through something similar with Riku."

Riku nodded. "He's just as scared as you only for different reasons."

Sora studied the pair for a long moment. He smiled widely before jumping up and hugging both at the same time. Cloud ended up smothered and choked a little. "Thanks, guys."

"I think your suffocating my boyfriend." Riku chuckled.

"Oops." Sora released then and backed away. "Sorry, Cloud."

It was another twenty minutes before Leon left the bathroom. He came downstairs fully dressed and did not look at any of them. It was hard to tell his actual mood.

"That had to be one hell of a shower." Riku smirked as Leon shook out the last few drops from his shoulder length hair. "Get all of the tension out of your system?"

Leon ignored the question as he walked toward the kitchen. "What are we doing for dinner?"

"Actually, Cloud and I are going out."

"We are?" The blonde asked softly.

"We liked Kyo's so much we wanted to go back, right?" Aqua eyes bore into blue with the clear message of 'you better agree'.

"Oh, absolutely." Cloud sat up and swung his legs down. "We should probably go now before it's really crowded."

He tugged Riku off the sofa. Riku cast a quick, reassuring smile at Sora and the couple quickly disappeared out the front door.

Leon somehow managed not to scream. He knew exactly what those two were trying to do. He had flat out threatened Cloud with bodily harm to Riku if they did this. Oh, was Riku going to get it. And Cloud, well, there was that little secret he did not want Riku to know.

Sora kept his eyes averted from the kitchen.

The older man sighed. "The hell with it. Let's get something at Tifa's." The bar sounded really good right about now.

"Uh, okay."

They walked in uneasy silence. Then they ate in uneasy silence. Sora had completely forgone any alcohol while Leon slowly downed drafts of beer. He would not get himself even remotely drunk but he needed to relax himself a little.

Then they went home. They probably spoke a whole ten words the entire outing. While this really was not unusual for Leon, it was terribly so for Sora and Leon knew it was entirely his fault. He was the one making Sora miserable.

That was the one thing he never wanted to do.

At the house, Sora went up to Cloud's room and came back with one of Riku's mangas. He settled on the sofa, curling his legs up on the cushion and bracing his feet against the armrest. He looked prepared to stay there a while.

Leon watched him from the entryway. He could not let this continue. "Sora."

The blue eyed boy looked up quizzically.

"I, I need to explain something to you but," he paused.

Sora's eyes filled with concern and something within Leon's heart busted out a chunk of the wall that encased it. Leon realized with only a little bitterness that it was too late. It had been too late for a long time.

He came over and sat beside the younger one, hands laced together before him. "I really don't know what I'm doing right now. This was, is, about the last conversation I ever expected to have with any one after Rinoa. But you, you make me feel a lot like she did.

"You brighten my day and infuriate the hell out of me all at once. Just seeing you going about like you always do, with that damned optimism of yours, makes me smile. I never want to see you anything but happy. It, it really hurts me when you're upset and I know that lately I've been the reason."

Sora studied him a long moment before setting aside the manga. He then turned and scooched closer. In an extremely gentle movement, he reached up and cupped the side of Leon's face, turning it toward him. He locked his expressive blue eyes onto Leon's smoky grey.

He bit his lip for a mere second before stretching up to press his lips against the older man's. The reaction was immediate. Leon brought his hands to Sora's waist and let the kiss deepen, not willing to hold back this time. He was tired of fighting and surrendered himself to where ever his heart decided to take him.

Sora smiled into the kiss, feeling Leon's tension melt along with his own. This was what they had wanted. Now that they had surrendered themselves to it, all the angst and now seemingly petty concern was washed away in a wave of pure feeling.

This was happiness.

Hands wandered underneath shirts, pushing fabric up so that skin could be revealed. Tongues, tired of playing together began drifting to other locations around ears and necks. Everything felt so unbelievably hot.

It was not until Sora found himself lying on his back with Leon above him, working intently with his mouth on the smaller one's shoulder that he began to panic a little. He wanted Leon, wanted him badly, but he was absolutely terrified. He was not ready to go that far yet.

At the same time, he did not want to make Leon wait for him. The man had been without a lover for years. Who was Sora, who was a willing participant up to a point, to make him wait on a frightened teenager?

Leon pulled away from Sora's clavicle, fingers trailing along Sora's waistline. He met Sora's worried eyes with a trace of a smile. "It's all right, Sora."

"Leon, I-"

He shushed him. "When you're ready for it; not before."

Sora bit his lip and nodded, ready to cry.

"Come on." Leon got up and took Sora to the bedroom. "Get out of those."

Sora assumed he meant clothes because he was slowly stripping his off. The boy took a moment to admire lean muscle and tan skin before rather hesitantly complying. He really felt so miniscule and plain compared to the other man.

Leon trained his eyes on Sora as he undressed. He saw the boy's discomfort and stepped over. He lightly cupped his chin and tilted it up. "You're beautiful. Don't ever think differently."

Sora stared at him with huge eyes, again thinking he was going to cry.

He finished dressing down until he was only in his boxers, Leon had pulled on a pair of sleep pants. He was tugged toward the bed and laid down beside Leon who wrapped his arms around him, almost engulfing him. Lips pressed to his spiky head of hair and he felt that wonderful swelling of warmth again.

"Good night, Sora."

"Night, Leon."


	9. Chapter 9

Hee-hee! This chapter makes me giddy.

Rewritten Oct. 15

* * *

The next few days passed in a blur. Sora spent a majority of his time with Leon and while they never did anything to physically reveal that they were unofficially together now, everyone seemed to know. Leon was obviously more relaxed then most figured he had ever been and talked a lot more. Sora was completely back to his usual self.

Yuffie teased them mercilessly. Whenever she was around them, she made as many sexual innuendos as she could. Sora could not help but think the girl was a bit jealous. She had glommed onto Leon almost the moment she met him.

Sora could not believe how good he felt these past few days. Everything was just different and he really couldn't explain how. He still felt bad sometimes when he caught Leon looking at him _that way_ but the man was completely true to his word and never tried to start more than Sora could handle.

They made out a lot, Cid going so far as to hint they were worse than Cloud and Riku when he caught them for the third time in one day. The second Sora seemed even remotely uncomfortable, Leon backed off. Sora knew this had to be difficult for him and his heart swelled even more for the man.

Every night, he fell asleep and woke up in strong, tanned arms. For the first time in a long time, he truly felt like he belonged somewhere. This was home.

It was not until the fourth day that he really began focusing again on things around him. A peculiar discord had developed between Riku and Cloud. They were not fighting but it was clear something was getting between them. Cloud seemed to be waiting for something and Riku was pretending he did not notice.

Sora sat on a section of broken wall with his legs swinging a little, watching Riku explain to a few workers what they had to do next. He helped as much as he could but right now there was nothing. He waited until the men left and Riku came over.

"Think they got it this time?"

"I hope so." Riku rubbed at his forehead. "I really didn't think it was that difficult to understand."

Sora shrugged.

"By the way," Riku folded his arms. "Did Leon say where he and Cloud were going?"

"Nope. Only that they had something to take care of."

"Yeah, that's what Cloud said." Riku frowned. "He's been hiding something from me this entire trip."

Oh, so that was what the problem was. "Any ideas?"

"Nope. He's been getting odd phone calls and disappearing randomly but other than that, he's been totally normal." Riku shrugged. "It's starting to worry me."

Sora was not sure what to say.

Thankfully, Riku changed the subject. "Any more progress with Leon in the sack?"

Sora blushed lightly. "Geeze, Riku."

"Well?"

The brunette sighed. Riku would not let this drop until he gave some kind of answer and as embarrassed as he was, he knew his best friend really only wanted to help. "A little."

"Yeah?" Riku grinned. "Like what?"

"Well, uh, last night… he, that is I…"

"Oh, for fuck's sake, Sora spit it out!"

"I let him touch me." Sora rushed out. "Like, you know…"

Riku's eyes widened and he smirked. "Oh, very good, Sora. And did you like it?"

Sora flushed. Yeah, he liked it. "That's a stupid question."

Riku laughed. "I guess it is. The better would be were you uncomfortable?"

"At first, yeah. I really didn't want him to but, I did. I wanted to feel his hands on me." Sora studied the crumbling concrete beside him. "It's just weird, you know? But when he did it, I just felt so… I wanted him to feel that too but he wouldn't let me."

Riku nodded. "I don't think he wanted to risk going too far. Things get to a point where it's really difficult to stop."

"Oh."

"But this is great, Sora. You're getting comfortable with sex stuff." Riku encouraged. "Don't push it though, just let things happen as they will."

Sora bit his lip, glancing at Riku. "I really want to touch him."

"Tell him that." Riku smirked. "Trust me; it's a real turn on."

"What is?" Cloud stepped up beside Riku.

"Nothing." Riku replied. Cloud rested his head on his lover's shoulder. "You and Leon finish doing whatever you needed?"

"Yeah," Cloud said slowly. His jaw tensed a bit. "It was easier than I expected but still hard as hell."

Riku frowned but said nothing.

"The four of us are going out after dinner."

"We are?" Sora asked.

"Yeah, so make sure you're cleaned up." Cloud took Riku's hand and led him away.

Sora sat there for a moment, head tilted trying to figure out what that had been about. He gave up quickly, however, and decided to go home. If Cloud said to clean up, then they had to be doing something important after dinner. Otherwise, he would not have cared either way.

He walked in the front door, intent on a shower. He entered the bedroom and there stood Leon in his jeans and nothing else. Wet hair dripped down, water running in little rivulets down his chest. The jeans rested low on his hips and his bare feet stuck out from folds of denim.

On pure impulse, Sora stepped up to him and ran a hand across that bare chest. Leon shivered a trace and steel-colored eyes locked on to sky blue. Next thing Sora knew, he was flat on his back on the bed and Leon was on top of him.

The older man alternated kissing, licking and biting Sora's mouth, jaw, ears and neck. He gasped as a large hand worked its way up under his shirt to pinch a nipple. He was lifted up just enough to remove his shirt and that tongue and mouth of Leon's was devouring his chest.

Sora became lost in a haze of sensation, barely realizing that the waistline of his baggy pants was being teased. When they became unbuttoned, something in his stomach tightened but not in fear. As they were pulled from his body, that feeling increased and he felt himself begin to harden..

He was still scared but the need to be touched was steadily overcoming that. Leon's eyes flicked upward, clouded with lust, just as his long fingers traced down to where they wanted to be. Sora arched up a bit and groaned as fingertips trailed along his inner thigh, bringing his erection to full hardness. This was just incredible.

He managed to look at Leon, who suddenly smirked at him with clear intent. Sora felt his fear rise, uncertain where this was going. He wanted this but was not sure what this was. He just knew he needed to go higher.

Leon's hand pulled away and he whimpered at the loss. Something had been building within him and it now stopped, leaving him feeling unfulfilled. He was almost tempted to touch himself.

Then fingers wrapped around his length and his breath hitched sharply. Oh, gods he never imagined this. Leon's free hand now held him in place as his body tried writhing itself off the bed.

That coil of something contracted further as that sense of euphoria rose higher and then suddenly everything burst. He cried out, not caring if he sounded like an idiot. He had no idea it was like this. Now he got why Riku was so loud.

Leon half sat beside him, reaching over to get some tissue from the nightstand. He watched as Sora came down, the panting disappearing. He reached out and brushed a few dampened spikes from the boy's forehead.

Sora grabbed on to that hand and held it to his chest. "My heart is racing."

"I noticed."

"Wow." Sora breathed. "That was…"

"It's something all right." Leon smiled a little, wiping the bit of cum from his hand. "Better go shower. Dinner will be soon."

Sora propped himself up on his elbows. "Uh, you don't want…"

Leon leaned forward and kissed him. "I'm fine. Go clean up."

Once showered, Sora and Leon made their way to Aerith's. Sora had his hands behind his head and there was a noticeable bounce in his step. Riku was outside with Cid discussing something of another. He glanced over and a huge smirk crossed his face.

He nudged Cid who also looked over and snorted. "Good going, Leonhart. Now the kid's going to be more obnoxiously happy than he was."

Leon shrugged.

Riku was practically beside himself. "I told you. Way better than anything you can do with your hand."

Sora grinned shyly. "Yeah."

Cid rolled his eyes. "I swear I'm getting the fuck away from you people."

"Oh, you love us." Riku countered.

Cloud stuck his head out. He took one look at Sora and smirked at Leon. "So when do you get yours?"

Leon shrugged again

"Hmm." Cloud glanced at Riku. He smiled nervously with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Come on, dinner's done."

Riku raised an eyebrow but followed him in. Cid was next. Sora glanced at Leon. "Cloud's planning something, isn't he?"

Leon threw an arm around his shoulders. He did not answer, just steered the teen inside.

Dinner could not pass fast enough. Sora fought not to squirm in his chair as he waited for the others to finish. He had nearly wolfed down his food while everyone else went at their normal pace. Everyone but Cloud that is, who was picking at his dinner. Riku was occasionally observing him, clearly getting worried.

Once Cloud had eaten a sufficient amount for Aerith, she dismissed everyone. It was Cid and Yuffie's turn to clean up and once they were in the kitchen, Aerith shooed the two couples toward the door. She gave Cloud a quick kiss on the cheek before shoving them all out.

They walked quietly down the road in a group, Cloud taking the lead. He obviously had a destination in mind. Riku threw a look over his shoulder at Leon and Sora. Sora shrugged but Leon did not react. After twenty minutes, they were near the falls at the castle.

Cloud lead them up and over the entry to Riku's hidden clearing of waterfalls and crystallized formations. Leon whistled lowly, taking a quick survey of the area. "This is incredible."

Riku was now staring at Cloud. Why in the worlds were they all here? It was their spot. Why had he brought Leon and Sora here? Cloud never seemed the group orgy type so this was really strange.

"Alright, Cloud. Let's get this show rolling." Leon leaned against one of the taller pillars. He pulled Sora over to him and wrapped his arms around the boy's waist from behind. "Some of us have other things to do."

The blonde glared weakly at his best friend. Then he bit at his lower lip and turned to Riku. Riku looked confused as all hell.

Cloud fidgeted a moment, toying with one of his black straps. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Look, I'm no good with words so I'm just gonna…"

He reached in his pocket and took out a small black box. He held it out for Riku to take. "Here."

Riku took it uncertainly, eyes locked on Cloud. He flipped it open before glancing down. He stared at the contents for an impossible length of time, his expression unreadable. "Is… is this what I think it is?"

Cloud's next set of words were strong and flowed easily. "I love you, Riku, and I don't want us to be apart anymore. I want us to be together, even beyond death. You're my heart, soul, and light."

"You're asking me to…" Riku drew out slowly.

"I've already committed myself to you." Cloud explained. "Now I want the worlds to know."

Riku blinked once and tears simply came pouring out. It was clear he wanted to say something but had no words. Finally he gave up and threw his arms around Cloud.

That was when Sora finally saw what was in the box. A flash of silver glinted in the fading light off of a simple ring. While it surprised him a little, he knew that this was the only logical next step for the couple.

He could not have been happier for his best friend.


	10. Chapter 10

Thank you for reading! Please check out the rest of the series! See my profile for the order.

Rewritten Oct 19.

* * *

Leon and Sora strolled down the street, Leon's arm draped casually over Sora's small shoulders. They had left as soon as if became apparent that Cloud and Riku had completely forgotten they were there. Not that either of them blamed the other two.

"So that's what Cloud's been hiding, huh?"

"Yeah."

"How long have you known about it?"

"I was the first person to know. He decided it a few days before the two of you got here." Leon snorted. "Think he could have been any more unromantic?"

"I don't know, I think it fit him and it made Riku cry so…" Sora shrugged. "I thought it was sweet."

"Well, you're right about it suiting him." The older one laughed.

They grew quiet again, comfortable. Sora could not believe everything had happened on this trip. "Everything's changing, isn't it?"

"It always does."

"I know that. It's just… weird. I mean, I know its all a part of growing up and everything but it's kinda freaking me out." He shook his head. "I mean, Riku's getting married. That possibility never, ever crossed my mind. And then there's you; I really wasn't expecting to start anything with you of all people."

"I think I'm insulted."

Sora smacked his arm. "You know what I mean."

"I do." Leon commented. "And even when you get older, it doesn't get easier. In some ways, it's harder. And as corny as it sounds, I'm glad you fell for me."

Sora pouted. "Oh, I see this is a one way relationship, huh?"

Leon stopped and brought Sora up against his chest. He stared down into those blue depths. "I care a great deal about you, Sora… More than I can put words to but..."

Sora nodded, understanding what he meant. He smiled softly. "I don't think I'm even remotely ready to hear that stuff from you anyway."

They were outside Aerith's house now. Not caring who saw, Leon bent down to kiss Sora deeply. It simply felt good to be here with Sora before him. Something that had been missing had returned and he felt himself slowly becoming complete again.

Sora was flushed when he pulled away, grinning shyly. "You're really good at that."

"I've heard I'm really good at other things, too."

"Hehe, yeah, well," Sora blushed heavily. "You are."

Leon glanced over at the house. "It's official."

Sora followed the look. Aerith and Cid stood on the porch. Aerith was beaming and Cid simply flicked some ash. "Bout fucking time. Now we wait for the next thing Spiky's gonna start fixating on."

"I'm so excited!" Aerith clapped her hands. "This is wonderful."

Cid rolled his eyes but there was a smile on his face. "We should make Cloud build his own house."

Leon laughed. "I completely agree."

"Well, I'm going to bed." Cid tossed his cigarette away. "You pretty boys should too. And actually sleep."

Cid disappeared. Aerith placed her hands behind her back. "You never know where you'll find love but it's always worth it."

Leon smirked. "You should make those inspirational posters, Aerith."

She giggled. "Night, boys."

They were alone again and with a nudge, Leon led the way to their house. They walked quietly along the dark street. "Two more days."

Sora snickered. "You sound like Riku did before we came."

Leon shrugged.

"So you're gonna miss me, huh?"

"Of course. You actually work without complaining."

"You're a jerk."

Leon half-grinned. At the top of the steps leading into the house, he took Sora's shoulder roughly. He pressed him to the door, running a hand along the smaller one's face and the boy shivered. "After you left the last time, that's when I realized I had started having feelings for you. The gummi disappeared from sight and this heavy sadness came. I silently counted down the days till you came back along with Cloud."

Sora bit his lip, completely stunned. There had been no indication of this. How could he possibly mean that much?

Leon released him to go inside. Going immediately to the kitchen for water, Leon called over his shoulder. "Think they'll be back tonight?"

"Don't know. They looked pretty, uh, happy there."

The older man snorted. "That's a good word for it. Riku won't be able to walk tomorrow; Cloud's going to have to carry him home."

"If he has the energy."

Leon pursed his lower lip in amusement. "I dare say you just made a sex joke, Sora."

He shrugged a little. "I guess I did, huh?"

Leon came to him, taking a drink of his water before setting it on the coffee table. He continued to stalk forward, giving Sora an intense look. Sora took one step back and hit the couch, falling back onto the cushions.

Leon was soon above him, knee between his legs and hands on either side of his head. He dropped down close, lips brushing the boy's nose. "Well now, let's see just how comfortable you are."

--0—0-

"I don't think I'm ever moving from this spot again." Riku barely managed to breathe out.

Cloud chuckled, also breathless. "If I'd known this would be the result, I would have given you a ring sooner."

Riku held up his left hand, watching the rays of light from the coming dawn glint off of silver. "Has it really been two years?"

"Doesn't seem that long, does it?"

"I remember when I was still smaller than you."

"You're still smaller than me." Cloud smirked.

"I'd hit you if I had the energy." Riku did turn his head to glare weakly. They both laughed and the silvered one dropped his hand. "Did anyone other than Leon know about this?"

"Aerith, you know I had to tell her. She's already trying to plan a full ceremony. I think Cid and Tifa figured it out, too."

Riku bit his lip. "What do you think of that?"

"Of what? A big ceremony?"

"Yeah."

Cloud shrugged. "I don't think it's necessary but I'm not against it. I know Aerith really wants us to have one."

"Sora's mom will want to also," Riku said slowly. "She's like my own mom and I love her like she is. She'd be really upset if we didn't do something."

"So you're saying you want to do a big gathering."

"Not big. Just our family and friends but it might be kinda nice."

"Fine."

"Fine?"

"We'll do it. Here or there I don't care." Cloud was watching the sun rise. "Once you're done with school, we'll have a wedding ceremony."

Riku carefully rolled over to half-lie on his blonde. He kissed him thoroughly, pouring as much love into it as he could. He then settled his head on his chest. "Thank you."

"I suppose you want your brother there." There was clear resignation in that voice.

"He is my family."

"Yeah, he is." Cloud agreed slowly.

Riku licked his lip. Suddenly he was feeling a bit more energetic. He slid up and began teasing Cloud's neck with his teeth. "You have no idea how much it would mean to me."

"Sure, I do." Cloud groaned as his earlobe was licked, followed by the line of his jaw being traced. Then that tongue languidly made its way down his chest, pausing to play with a nipple for a moment before continuing its decent down. "But I doubt he'd go."

"We should at least ask him," Riku murmured against his navel. He kept up his light tongue flicks, and slow sweeps all the way down until he reached hipbone and then he stopped. Cloud was a quivering mess by now. "Don't you think?"

"I guess." He grit out, half moaning it as Riku breathed over heated skin.

"So, if I ask," Cloud bucked up as moist air hit him again. "You'll be okay if he says yes?"

That damn tongue was teasing him again, not giving him what he really wanted. Riku knew exactly how to drive him crazy. "Damn it, Riku."

"What?"

Another flick. "Ugh! Yes!"

Riku grinned. "Good."

He then gave Cloud what he wanted.

--0—0--

They had moved from the couch to the bedroom after Sora's second orgasm for the day, Leon still refusing to let Sora try anything on him. They had fallen asleep wrapped in each other, Leon keeping the bulk of his body positioned slightly away.

Sora had woken up some time later to a very noticeable erection pressed to his leg. He bit his lip and decided it was time to assuage his curiosity. He awkwardly slipped his hand down Leon's pants and wrapped his fingers around the man's partially hardened length. He slowly began moving his hand along it, guessing at what he was supposed to be doing.

There was a low moan and he glanced up to met heavy-lidded grey eyes. Gaining a bit of confidence, he continued his actions, experimenting to see how Leon reacted. He tried to mimic what Leon had done to him before and from what he could tell was doing a fairly good job of it.

Another five minutes or so and Leon had his head thrown back. Sora increased his pace and there was a twitch in his hand. Leon let out a soft groan as he finally found his release, several jets of sticky, white fluid soiling Sora's hand.

Sora grinned a little, feeling a joy he had never before experienced. "Was that okay?"

Leon smirked at the silly question, quickly recovering. "It was great."

Sora was not sure he believed him but now wasn't the time to question him too much. It could not have been too bad if the content look on Leon's face meant anything.

"I could really get use to waking up to this every morning." Leon sighed.

"It could happen."

Leon studied Sora for a long moment. "Possibly."

Sora frowned, picking at the bed cover. "Two more days, huh?"

"Yeah." Leon sat up and turned Sora's face to him. "We make full use of the time we have and when you come back, if you're ready, we'll try having some real fun."

Sora grinned. For the first time that thought did not scare him.

--0—0—

Forty-eight hours passed like they were nothing. Both couples were clearly preoccupied with other things and virtually no work got done, not that anyone complained. News of Cloud and Riku had spread rapidly and by the end of the first day, they had been congratulated at least a hundred times and several women had offered their services for any wedding ceremony they decided to do.

Leon and Sora were rather thankful that those two had taken most of the attention. While there had been many looks, their new closeness went relatively unnoticed. Of course, there was no getting away from Yuffie but they somehow managed to deal.

When the time to leave finally came, the four of them met up in the gummi garage. There were no tears this time, each of them knowing that this separation would not be for long.

"Sora finishes a week after graduation," Riku explained again, Cloud wrapped in both of his arms. "That's probably the best time for us to get everyone here for the wedding."

"Or we'll come there." Cloud corrected. "We can get married wherever you want."

Riku nibbled at his earlobe.

Leon and Sora stood close together, Leon's arm around the smaller one's waist. He made a noise from the back of his throat. "If you two think you can fuck in under five minutes, go for it."

Riku snorted and Cloud gave Leon a dirty look. "Don't you have your own boyfriend now?"

"Maybe and I can fuck in under five but I don't like putting on a show."

Sora snickered.

"No, but Sora does." Riku grinned wickedly. "I totally heard you last night. Couldn't sleep because of that racket"

"Payback's a bitch." The younger teen retorted easily.

"All right." Leon interceded before Riku could say anything else. "Time for you guys to get out of here."

Riku and Cloud immediately started going at it. Leon and Sora rolled their eyes at each other. Leon pulled him closer and tugged on a long spike of brown hair framing his face. "Call whenever you want."

Sora nodded, closing his eyes and stretching up to met Leon in a kiss. He drew away reluctantly, glancing shyly in the direction of the man's shoulder. "I'll miss you."

"Same here, kid." He saw that Cloud and Riku were done and Riku was heading for the ship. "See you soon."

"Yeah."


End file.
